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Garden habitats for frogs
I seem to have created the perfect habitat for my frogs. It's not a large garden, marsh or meadow, but a tatty grow bag from last year, screened by willow edging and topped with dead foliage.
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Gardeners' World Web User
01/04/2011 at 18:29
What a lovely frog saga. A hedgehog once spent the winter in one of the black bin bags which I use to collect leaves for leaf mould and which resides in my potting shed - the back of the garage really. I often find frogs asleep in the morning in pots in my cold frame which I have watered the night before. Wild creatures do make good use of whatever is available, Kate, as you have found out. I found some blackbirds' nests in my monstrous yuccas, when I was trimming them, with crisp packets, bits of fleece etc beautifully woven together. The storks in The balconies in Hong Kong build their nests of nothing but street detritus and as they are very wide they use plastic bags a lot.
Gardeners' World Web User
02/04/2011 at 08:18
That is such a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us. Maybe you could consider having a permanent little frog sanctuary in a corner of your garden you seem to have the right magic for it. My pond is full of little tadpoles although I had heard from anecdotal sources there was a shortage of them this year, so I am delighted to see them back again as usual.
Gardeners' World Web User
02/04/2011 at 08:48
So now, the frogs are designing your garden? Excellent!
Gardeners' World Web User
02/04/2011 at 13:41
I was worried I would'nt get any frogs this year as I found over 20 dead in my pond ( it was when we had all that bad snow & cold weather ). It was very upsetting as over the years I have saved the tadpoles from being on my fishes dinner menu, so have become quite attached to the frogs. But to my delight this week I have heard croaking & found a hugh ball of frog spawn in my pond :) to which I have moved to what I call my tadpole nursery. Hopefully they will soon replace all my lost frogs from this winter!! To be continued.....
Gardeners' World Web User
02/04/2011 at 17:04
oh your so lucky to have frogspawn,as of yet i havent got any in my pond....over the winter i found 2 large dead frogs [second year running],i have only seen 1 frog in my garden this year normally this time of year there are loads hoping around on the lawn etc...i wonder if i will get any spawn? kate,i do so love your story and how sweet they are still with you,are you gonna do a pond for them?
Gardeners' World Web User
03/04/2011 at 18:31
how can i attract frogs without a pond,do i need a pond if so could i put a water pump in the corner just moving the water about slowly will that work....mr green thumb
Gardeners' World Web User
03/04/2011 at 18:36
how can i make them sleep over the winter can they smell water or compost piles and do they try and get there mr green thumb
Gardeners' World Web User
04/04/2011 at 09:26
happymarion – thank you, and how lovely. I cycle past a coots’ nest every day, which is made entirely of polystyrene boxes that you get your chips in after a night out. It’s really horrible to look at, but if it helps successfully raise baby coots… Molokoloko – thank you. I’m a bit reluctant to have such an eyesore as a permanent feature as my garden is only 4m square! But I expect the frogs will win, as I’m too soft. Glad you have so many tadpoles! Milo de Paor – it would seem so, yes Plug – that’s great news. Fingers crossed you’ll soon have lots of baby frogs running around. Also, you could read my blog on dead frogs for ways to prevent frogs dying in your pond over winter in future. miss tadpole – thank you, yes, they do have a pond, though it’s only in a tub trug. I made it for the frogs I rescued out of a drain a couple of years ago. green thumb – a pond is ideal, really. If you don’t have room to dig a pond, you could just make one in an old sink or tub trug, making sure the frogs can enter and exit easily. Frogs also need plenty of long grass and dense foliage, so they can travel around the garden easily. Kate
Gardeners' World Web User
04/04/2011 at 09:45
Thanks for sharing that story. it's wonderful for the frogs and you. I have a small pond and a resident frog called jeremy. He is a welcome companion and since taking up residence my slug population has virtually disappeared.I'm hoping the foxgloves i have been given will survive now although as one is starting to come up I noticed its bottom leaves are being chewed. I hope Jeremy finds the vandal before too long.
Gardeners' World Web User
04/04/2011 at 13:12
How lovely! Your story sums up one of the best things about gardening - nature's thwarting of 'the best laid plans of mice and men'. We recently noticed that some blackbirds have made a nest in our garden, right at the top of a messy eyesore of a hedge that we'd planned to cut down... needless to say, the hedge is now going to stay put! http://www.mandysutter.com/reluctant-gardener-day-230-the-new-wheelbarrow/
Gardeners' World Web User
04/04/2011 at 16:18
Well about an hour ago i saw a big bumble bee going in and out of holes and gaps it was searching for a place to set up home the reason i noticed ,,because i read about them on this site...its sad that a coot made its nest out of people,s rubbish but i suppose it,s water proof,im a learner gardener put loads of bulbs all over my front garden 3weeks ago.Im noticing when the birds make a load noise i always see, a kestrel or sparrow halk..its amazing what i can see when im working on my garden, They been there all the but never noticed green thumb
Gardeners' World Web User
04/04/2011 at 16:27
Thankyou kate its a small garden i could easy put a pond in the corner, if the water still will it go stagnent,.or maybe i could move the water myself manually will a water pump be safe for the frogs mr green thumb
Gardeners' World Web User
04/04/2011 at 16:52
Were,s the best place to grow tomotoes can i grow in hanging basket how deep as the soil got to be in container{sun or shade} Im gonna put some stawberry,s in pots do they like sun or shade or both,ive got tomoto liquid feed is it ok for strawberry,s too green thumb
Gardeners' World Web User
04/04/2011 at 18:49
So THAT'S why frogs (actually I think they're toads) have always leapt out at me when I'm innocently trying to move growbags. Now I not only have to cope with the trauma but the realisation that I've inadvertently been wrecking a home. Sheesh.
Gardeners' World Web User
05/04/2011 at 09:09
green thumb - that's great news about the bees. Make sure you keep me updated if you do get them nesting in your garden - I'll be extremely jealous. Your pond water won't become stagnant if you add oxygenating plants to it. You can buy these from some garden centres. They also provide great gover for tadpoles and young frogs, and keep the water clean in winter, preventing frogs from dying under the ice. Alex M - home wrecker ;) Kate
Gardeners' World Web User
06/04/2011 at 10:00
hi kate,i know this is the wrong blog,but could you tell me if i have to clean out some bee logs that i have...i had last year some kind of bees nesting in logs with holes in,the bee covered the hole with a leaf,the eggs all hatched out ,so do i now clean out the dead bits of leaf thats left behind?? ready for this year---also unsure of the birdbox that bees were nesting in do i now clean that out?
Gardeners' World Web User
06/04/2011 at 10:24
Hi Sarah - I wouldn't bother cleaning out the solitary bee logs, and they almost certainly will have been leafcutter bees - you lucky thing! Re your bird box... did you say once that the bees were parasitised by wax moth? In which case I would definitely clean it out. There may be wax moth cocoons still there, which will hatch into moths ready to infect a new bumblebee nest. Kate
Gardeners' World Web User
07/04/2011 at 10:41
hi kate,yes your right [you have a good memory] i did have wax moths in there,im gonna do that today,as regards to the logs,,,there are still bits of leafs in the hole around edge of hole [if you understand this] where the baby [i think] chewed its way out,di i remove that?? or just leave alone, my sister has the same logs as i but she was wondering how come she didnt get any bees in her log? any ideas,plus do they come back to the same place each year[nest].... thank you kate for your knowledge.x
Gardeners' World Web User
07/04/2011 at 16:53
Sarah - I wouldn't bother removing the bits of leaf, the bees will do that. But you can if you'd like to, there's no harm done (as long as you remove last year's and not this year's!). The babies that chewed their way out last year will return to lay new eggs this year. Re your sister's log: the logs need to be sited in full sun, as, unlike bumblebees, solitary bees don't have hair so they need the warmth of the sun to heat up. So I would guess your sister's is in the shade. If not, perhaps the holes are too big? They need to be between 2mm and 10mm wide, to attract the widest range of bees. They also need to be off the ground, in a sheltered, dry spot. So if your sister's log is not in these conditions I would advise her to move it, and hope the bees find it. The type of plants she grows in her garden could also make a difference. Do you know which plants the bees cut their leaves from in your garden? Does your sister have the same plants? Leafcutters tend to favour rose and wisteria leaves.. so if you have them growing in your garden and your sister doesn't, that could also be a reason. Kate
Gardeners' World Web User
07/04/2011 at 18:29
oh hi kate,i have both climbing rose & wisteria which the bees cut from thoses leafs,my sister does have the same the only differance is my house backs onto woods which has loads and loads of wildlife also my logs are slightly differant from my sister,maybe its in the wrong place, at the mo its hanging on a apple tree.or just down to luck... but thanks for your info its very kind of you to reply to me.
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